Water Pipe (Bong)
A Water Pipe, or Bong, is a type of smoking device which filters smoke through a container of water. History The Chinese have smoked herbs from water pipes for several hundred years. The first modern Bongs were simple Thai water pipes made of straight pieces of the conveniently compartmentalized bamboo tree. Parts of a Bong Bowl The bowl contains the herb to be smoked, and holds it while it is alight. Air passes through the bowl, carrying smoke into the downstem. The part of the bowl which connects to the downstem will be of a measured thickness in a glass pipe, measured as a guage. Most commercial glass watter pipe bowls will be between 14 and 18 guage. Some bowls, called ash-catchers, have a chamber with a small amount of water in it. When lit plant material or ash flows through the bowl, the water catches it, keeping it inside the bowl while allowing the smoke to pass through. This style of bowl greatly reduces downstem maintenance. Downstem The tube that connects the bowl to the main body of the bong is called the downstem. In many higher end water pipes, it is removable for easier cleaning. It can be a simple tube that ends in a single hole, or have several holes to better diffuse the smoke. Some new downstems feature ball check valves on their outlets, so an increase in system pressure, such as coughing into the water pipe, will not cause water to saturate the contents of the bowl. Water Chamber The main chamber of water in a water pipe may come in several different styles, the two most popular being the beaker and the straight. Style of water chamber is usually regarded as only important in matters of personal preference, but beakers generally provide a higher draw pressure than straight water pipes. Percolator Some high end glass bongs are made with a percolator, a device that runs the smoke through a secondary water chamber, diffusing it into much smaller bubbles than the downstem is capable of. Many smokers claim this leads to a smoother hit. Ice Clip Another feature seen almost exclusively in high end glass water pipes is the ice clip, three or four dimples set into the glass above the water chamber (and percolator, if the bong is fitted with one). Many smokers like to pack the necks of their water pipes with ice to cool the smoke further and raise the density of the air inside. This denser air allows more smoke to be taken in to the bong per hit, and the cold makes it near imperceptibly smooth. The ice clips allow the ice to remain in the neck of the water pipe until it melts into water, so as not to fall through and damage the fragile percolator or downstem. Neck The rest of the water pipe. The neck is the straight part of the bong that the smoker brings to their mouth, and it is often the point at which most users grip their bongs. If a smoker cannot see through the neck of their water pipe due to entire chamber being filled with smoke, the bong is said to be "Milked". For many, milking the bong for the first time was a painful and mindblowing milestone. Many ultra-high end glass companies, such as Syn, Roor, and Illadelph distinctly print their company name vertically on the necks of the water pipes they produce.